The "What if Marvel Bought DC" thread got me thinking ... if they merged 616 and the DC universe, what would be your ultimate Avengers lineup?

Limit to 12 roster slots or less.

For me, I think I'd take:

Superman
Captain America
Iron Man
Thor
Wonder Woman
Green Lantern (Jordan)
Giant Man
Hawkeye
Wasp
Aquaman
Martian Manhunter
Flash (Barry Allen)

No Batman. Batman always bugged me on JLA ... it's not because he "doesn't have powers" as his detractors always lament ... it's because his gimmick is the whole secrecy thing. It never made sense for him to be under-the-radar in his own title, and then parading around with Superman on a satellite in JLA.
I could easily go with others instead of Pym/Van Dyne in terms of their power set, but to me, Giant-Man and the Wasp are in for nostalgia sake, and to keep things with that Avengers-feel.

Man, DC has a lot of heavy-hitters. The classic JLA lineup (Supes, Bats, GL, WW, MM, Aquaman, Flash) is pretty top-heavy, when you've got regular guys like Batman or Green Arrow, and then the next step up in power is the Flash, who can literally run back in time. Over 70% of the core JLA lineup is in the benchpressing-a-tank class. One of the reasons I always liked the Avengers - a balanced squad. But I'm probably Marvel-biased

So anyway, with my team, I'd split them into two squads. B-Team would be my stealth squad, good for infiltration and such, but more than able to handle all but the top-level threats:
Cap, Pym, Barton, Van Dyne, and Flash

The rest are A-Team, any of them able to individually respond to crises across the globe, or come together to defeat Galactus, Darkseid, or whoever else gets in their way.

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I just don't read enough do comics to have an opinion...

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I'm not a big fan of having Superman involved. The dude is simply too powerful. I mean the other heroes have to be smart and creative about how they defeat their enemies, it's exciting to watch. Superman can just bash and laser his way through everything, it's no wonder the most recent movie didn't do so well at the box office.

I like that lineup, it would be great!

I've never really liked Superman in general, I think he's kind of a boring character. A real straight-laced goody two-shoes. Doesn't resonate with me at all.

That said - I haven't read any classic Superman stories. I checked out that "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow" thing - that was okay but didn't do all that much for me.

Are there any really great Superman stories out there that I should look into?

I do like Flash as a character, and the Green Arrow is pretty badass - honestly I think I prefer him to Hawkeye. I might as well make a list actually.

Flash (Barry Allen)
Green Arrow
Batman
Captain America
Thor
Iron Man
Wasp
Beast
Vision
Atom (Ray Palmer)
Green Lantern (Jordan)
Hawkman

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Good Superman?
I haven't read a whole lot, but the Death of Superman is a pretty good (and obviously major) Superman story that isn't awful to read even today.
And the rebooted New 52 seemed like they were taking a different spin on his "boyscout" persona.

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Do not bore me with such trite cliches. For I have you in my clutches, and should I choose, I could snuff out your insignificant lives in an instant.

The boyscout thing is why I never got into Superman.

Atom however, thats an interesting choice. I could see him being a quality addition. He's a way more interesting Ant-Man.

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Problem for me is the boyscout angle is what makes Superman kind of lame, but I don't like it if they stray from that, because that's who Superman is. I like Superman: For All Seasons by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale. Just a simple character study, focusing on how Smallville influences who Superman is.

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I like it when modern writers pair him up with Batman. (see: Superman/Batman)
They make such interesting foils for each other.

Did anyone read all that "New Krypton" bullshit? Was it any good?

I enjoyed JMS's recent run and was disappointed they didn't let him finish.

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Do not bore me with such trite cliches. For I have you in my clutches, and should I choose, I could snuff out your insignificant lives in an instant.

That is the only time I don't mind Superman. Your right, the juxtaposition between him and Batman just works. When done right, it is really good (Although even then I prefer the Batman part of that pair over Superman every time)

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